Arizona State playoff scenarios, explained: How win in Big 12 title game impacts CFP rankings | Sporting News

Arizona State dominated Iowa State 45-19 in the Big 12 championship game Saturday, earning an automatic berth into the College Football Playoff.

The Sun Devils and Cyclones were part of a four-way tie for first place in the conference, and they earned spots in the championship game due to tie-breakers.

Cam Skattebo rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns as ASU blew open the game in the third quarter and won the league title in its first year in the Big 12. The Sun Devils were picked last in the preseason polls after finishing 3-9 last season in the Pac-12.

The question for Arizona State now is where it will be seeded in the 12-team playoff.

The College Football Playoff’s final field of 12 teams will be revealed Sunday, Dec. 8 at Noon ET live on ESPN. 

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Is Arizona State in the College Football Playoff?

Arizona State earned an automatic berth into the College Football Playoff with its victory over Iowa State on Saturday. The top five conference champions earn auto-bids into the 12-team field. The final seven spots will at-large bids based on the CFP committee’s Top 25 rankings.

Arizona State seeding scenarios

There are a range of outcomes for Arizona State’s seed based on its dominant performance against Iowa State. 

The four highest-ranked conference champions get first-round byes. The Big Ten and SEC champions are virtually guaranteed two of them. There are three remaining conference champs vying for the other two first-round byes – Boise State (Mountain West), Arizona State (Big 12) and the ACC champ (Clemson vs. SMU).

On Tuesday, Arizona State was ranked No. 15 and Boise State was ranked No. 10. Boise State defeated No. 20 UNLV 21-7 on Friday. Would Arizona State jump Boise State in the rankings? That would be a pretty big jump, but it is possible the Power 4 conference champ would get the nod thanks to having a harder strength of schedule and a more dominant win in the league championship game.

If SMU wins the ACC championship, the Mustangs should get the No. 3 seed as the third highest-ranked champion since it entered the week No. 8. In that case, the committee would have to decide between Boise State and Arizona State for the No. 4 seed. If Arizona State does not get the No. 4 seed, it could get anything from a No. 10-12 seed depending on where it is ranked Sunday and would be on the road for a first-round playoff game.

If Clemson wins the ACC championship, Boise State and Arizona State may both earn top 4 seeds and first-round byes since Clemson (9-3) entered the week ranked No. 17 and would have a hard time jumping either Arizona State or Boise State.

College Football Playoff bracket 2024

As you can see above, Arizona State was seeded 12th in the 12-team playoff before Championship Saturday.